Colombia's Petro bars military sites for incoming president's inauguration

Colombia's presidential transition is being overshadowed by a standoff between outgoing leader Gustavo Petro and his elected successor, Abelardo de la Espriella. Petro has ordered that no military facility be used to host the August 7 inauguration ceremony.

De la Espriella has responded that, despite the order, he intends to go ahead with plans to be sworn in at a garrison in the south of the country. The dispute deepens tension between the two men with less than a month to go before the handover of power.

Observers are watching closely to see whether the disagreement remains a matter of protocol or begins to affect the institutional mechanics of the transition itself. Presidential handovers in Colombia have traditionally been reinforced with military ceremony, and this year's dispute has thrust that symbolic dimension into the spotlight.